Angus
09-23-2006, 11:55 AM
Rick Snider: All signs point straight to must-win
WASHINGTON - Good news: The Washington Redskins have reached the playoffs. Bad news: It starts Sunday.
If Houston beats the Redskins, the latter is essentially eliminated from the playoff chase. The Redskins’ margin is now so thin Calista Flockhart is playing cornerback.
“This is a must-win waiting for us,” offensive tackle Jon Jansen said. “Until we’re back to .500, they’re all must-wins.”
How did it come to this before the leaves turned colors? Before the Nationals’ season ends or the Wizards even start? Before Thanksgiving, elections, trick or treating or even Columbus Day?
Washington was 3-0 last season and still needed to win its last five games to make the postseason so it’s hard to declare the Redskins DOA on Sunday should they slip to the Texans. It sure feels like a deathwatch, though.
Houston really stinks. Maybe second only to Oakland as the NFL’s worst team so this is a time to get happy real fast before playing Jacksonville and the New York Giants in coming weeks. Either the Redskins win now or it’s 0-5 and shades of the Marty Schottenheimer era.
We all know how that ended.
After a way-too-serious week around Redskin Park, here are 10 signs the game is going well:
» Owner Dan Snyder lets Tom Cruise jump on the couch in owner’s box and doesn’t make personnel director Vinny Cerrato stand in the corner.
» Southeast Jerome pops out of Clinton Portis’ uniform after scoring a touchdown.
» Offensive guru Al Saunders advance orders five free toppings for his pizza on Monday. Unfortunately, they’re all vanilla.
» Redskins cornerbacks hit someone AFTER they touch the ball.
» Snyder buys oil wells during commercial breaks for his coming theme park “Six Flags over Free Agency” where patrons pay between $50 to $70 for parking based on crude prices.
» Coach Joe Gibbs tells halftime interviewer “we’re throwing the ball well” instead of merely praising Mark Brunell for playing well. Seems the coach won’t be playing favorites anymore.
» Defensive end Andre Carter is playing vertically and crossing the line of scrimmage.
» Former Redskins GM Charley Casserly is watching his beloved Nats at RFK because his old Texans are losing.
» Coaches stop blaming LaVar Arrington for all the blown defensive assignments.
» Brunell tries to throw a pass away — but a receiver catches it!
However, here are a few signs that it’s not going the Redskins way:
» Gibbs cuts off Saunders’ microphone and starts gesturing offensive plays from the sideline while pointing towards the end zone.
» Quarterback Jason Campbell is playing. Translation? Brunell is lying on the trainer’s table.
» Cerrato is looking for a tree branch to make into a switch.
» Fullback Mike Sellers is the team’s leading receiver and leading rusher.
» Dr. I Don’t Know keeps saying, “Oh, no. Oh, no. No. No. No.”
OK, go have some fun this weekend. It was a rough week so enjoy the great weather and we’ll meet back at 1 p.m. Sunday.
And if things don’t go well, just remember you still have your health.
http://www.examiner.com/printa-306004~Rick_Snider:_All_signs_point_straight_to_mu st-win.html
WASHINGTON - Good news: The Washington Redskins have reached the playoffs. Bad news: It starts Sunday.
If Houston beats the Redskins, the latter is essentially eliminated from the playoff chase. The Redskins’ margin is now so thin Calista Flockhart is playing cornerback.
“This is a must-win waiting for us,” offensive tackle Jon Jansen said. “Until we’re back to .500, they’re all must-wins.”
How did it come to this before the leaves turned colors? Before the Nationals’ season ends or the Wizards even start? Before Thanksgiving, elections, trick or treating or even Columbus Day?
Washington was 3-0 last season and still needed to win its last five games to make the postseason so it’s hard to declare the Redskins DOA on Sunday should they slip to the Texans. It sure feels like a deathwatch, though.
Houston really stinks. Maybe second only to Oakland as the NFL’s worst team so this is a time to get happy real fast before playing Jacksonville and the New York Giants in coming weeks. Either the Redskins win now or it’s 0-5 and shades of the Marty Schottenheimer era.
We all know how that ended.
After a way-too-serious week around Redskin Park, here are 10 signs the game is going well:
» Owner Dan Snyder lets Tom Cruise jump on the couch in owner’s box and doesn’t make personnel director Vinny Cerrato stand in the corner.
» Southeast Jerome pops out of Clinton Portis’ uniform after scoring a touchdown.
» Offensive guru Al Saunders advance orders five free toppings for his pizza on Monday. Unfortunately, they’re all vanilla.
» Redskins cornerbacks hit someone AFTER they touch the ball.
» Snyder buys oil wells during commercial breaks for his coming theme park “Six Flags over Free Agency” where patrons pay between $50 to $70 for parking based on crude prices.
» Coach Joe Gibbs tells halftime interviewer “we’re throwing the ball well” instead of merely praising Mark Brunell for playing well. Seems the coach won’t be playing favorites anymore.
» Defensive end Andre Carter is playing vertically and crossing the line of scrimmage.
» Former Redskins GM Charley Casserly is watching his beloved Nats at RFK because his old Texans are losing.
» Coaches stop blaming LaVar Arrington for all the blown defensive assignments.
» Brunell tries to throw a pass away — but a receiver catches it!
However, here are a few signs that it’s not going the Redskins way:
» Gibbs cuts off Saunders’ microphone and starts gesturing offensive plays from the sideline while pointing towards the end zone.
» Quarterback Jason Campbell is playing. Translation? Brunell is lying on the trainer’s table.
» Cerrato is looking for a tree branch to make into a switch.
» Fullback Mike Sellers is the team’s leading receiver and leading rusher.
» Dr. I Don’t Know keeps saying, “Oh, no. Oh, no. No. No. No.”
OK, go have some fun this weekend. It was a rough week so enjoy the great weather and we’ll meet back at 1 p.m. Sunday.
And if things don’t go well, just remember you still have your health.
http://www.examiner.com/printa-306004~Rick_Snider:_All_signs_point_straight_to_mu st-win.html